John could feel time slipping away from him, every second getting closer and closer to the dread hour. Since he doubted the new arrival had any of the local money either he decided desperate times called for desperate measures. He'd gotten this to work right at least once, all he needed was the proper wording to make sure it didn't blow up in his face. John pulled out his pad and quickly scribbled down:

A kindly passerby stops, takes an interest in John Robertson's watch and offers to buy it. He's willing to pay more than enough "wax mint" in the urchin's vernacular to buy the map John needs.

Gideon looked back over his shoulder at the wall that he could have sworn was a doorway just a moment ago. He cursed under his breath and looked around him at his new environment. His hand clutched the shred of newspaper, which had mocked his fall from grace and drawn him to first discover the city he now stood in. His clothes were all a shambles, his shirt not buttoned properly, even a scarecrow would be seen dead before it ever allowed itself to get into such a wretched disarray. Beneath his wild, shaggy bed-head and stubble in dire need of shaving, one would have to peer closely to recognise the man once famed as the Great Glimmer. It seemed to take all his willpower just to peel away from the wall, as it no longer served him as a way home, and he edged towards the other Awakened.

"E-excuse me?" he croaked hoarsely, but tried to sound more together than he really had been for the previous two years. "I don't suppose any of you lot have an inkling as to where in the universe we are?" Even when not booming across a theatre full of patrons and fans, he had a fairly distinctive voice to any listener with a passing knowledge of showbiz or at least watched a television two years before.

CODE

OOC:Sorry if this breaks up the pacing at all. I just wanted to say that for an idea of Gideon's voice, imagine a young Tim Curry, maybe circa Rocky Horror.

They can also, as in this instance, be the exception to the rule that rolls are always made against the GM. In this instance, there's no particular threat except the possibility that Madness will dominate this particular roll. The results of the roll will determine how well your attempt to attract a buyer succeeds.

Since this is a fairly minor use of your Talent, I'm going to rule that it only requires the use of a single Madness die. You can add more if you want to - up to six, as per usual - but that increases the chance that Madness will dominate as well as the number of successes you'll get.

As Gideon stumbles forward onto the street - and the map-selling urchin waves the stack of pamphlets at him urgently, calling "You look lost, boss! Come an' join us. Maybe the other boss'll share with you, assumin' he's got money" - and John begins to scribble in his notebook, Antoinette gets a sudden, powerful chill down her spine. Someone is watching her, she's sure of it.

At the same time, John spots something out of the corner of his eye that makes his own blood run cold. A man emerges from an alleyway not far away from Gideon - a wiry, slender man in a fedora and suit that wouldn't have looked out of place on a 1940s reporter, a man which, on first look, has no head, but upon further inspection has a slender needle rising from his shoulders, above which the hat floats.

The man is holding a leash. On the end of it? What looks to be a large bloodhound, save that, like the man with it, the dog has a sewing needle in place of a head, with the thread running through said needle leading all the way back to its tail - and then vanishing into thin air. The dog is "sniffing" the ground, the point of its nose scraping across the cobbles of the street.

Pin Heads and Needle Noses. The minions of the Tacks Man, enforcers of its bureaucracy. When they're sent out, it means that the Tacks Man wants something from their target - and it's never something that they want to give up. Their fondest memories, perhaps, or their ability to heal others, or maybe simply a limb.

One thing is for sure: the two Watch Men flanking the Pin Head mean that the Tacks Man and Officer Tock are working together in this. And that can't be good for anyone.

QUOTE

The Needle-Nose bloodhounds are dangerous trackers. Not because they're particularly powerful physically - they're Pain 3 most of the time - but because they have a way of sniffing out their targets. In this case, they're working with Officer Tock's Watch Men to track down John. And Needle-Noses are excellent trackers. They're Pain 5 as long as they're on the scent.

So your attempt to procure a map may have to be cut short. You can either use your Madness Talent unopposed, and get the money as a result while not trying to avoid your trackers - which means you'll probably have to fight - use it while simultaneously trying to duck out of their way, which means that it's going to be an opposed roll against the Needle Nose's Pain 5, or just drop it and try to run, which is still against Pain 5.

Anyone else attempting to join John on his run away will need to roll against Pain 3, as the Needle Noses aren't tracking you specifically. Of course, you don't really know John, so you're under no pressure to follow him - but then, he is the only person around here who seems to know what's going on, and he might be able to tell you more if you stick with him.

Oh, and making the roll isn't necessary immediately. You have a few seconds to look around for possible exits (or try and spot whoever's watching Annie), talk quickly, or anything of the sort.

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

One thing is for sure: the two Watch Men flanking the Pin Head mean that the Tacks Man and Officer Tock are working together in this. And that can't be good for anyone.

CODE

OOC: Pain 5 huh? I'll use my talent [i]and[/i] try for an escape. We need the money and "the map John needs" is vague enough that if we [i]don't[/i] wind up using a door map to escape Tock he'll have enough for a map he needs later. 3 exhaustion and 2 madness.

Discipline: Dice Roll: 3d6: 6+4+3 = 13

Exhaustion: Dice Roll: 3d6: 5+6+3 = 14

Madness: Dice Roll: 2d6: 4+5 = 9

As John spots the Pin Head and the Watchmen he turns pale and shouts at the rest of the group, "Run!"

"Those things don't have heads!" Lewis yelps quietly as he notices the pinheads. John's shout brakes him out of his shock and he decides to follow Antoinette as she attempts to run rationalizing that she's probably the only person he has reason to trust here and it's better to not be on his own.

Discipline: Dice Roll: 3d6: 1+1+2 = 4

Exhaustion: Dice Roll: 1d6: 2 = 2

I'm not crazy I just use a different definition of sanity...

The Forum Blunt Instrument. "Because sometimes the only way to get through to someone is with a sledgehammer."

Gideon stood, gazing agape at the events unfurling before him. He had no idea who any of the humans he saw charging up the street were, but he disliked the idea of standing still while those inhuman creatures shambled about. The ones that resembled dogs were looking for something, and while part of him doubted it was him, his journey into this new world had been less than comforting, so he did not wish to wait and find out. It was better to stick with what you knew, and what he knew right now was his own kind and probably not much else.

Absolute chaos is the only phrase to adequately describe what follows John's shout of warning. The writer, the doctor, and the teenager all turn on their heels and sprint headlong into the crowd, knocking the passersby left and right - or sometimes being knocked aside themselves, depending on the size of the one they collide with.

Behind them, the walkers fall onto the cobbles and lay there, as if they can't imagine pushing themselves upright. Some walk over them, grinding their faces into the pavement. The rest trip themselves and worsen the collapse. And, through all of this, Gideon forces his way after the only three people he can attach any sort of meaning to.

He's the first to notice the pursuers. He was closest to the alley, the closest to the Watch Men - barely an arm's length away, really - when the chase began. He stalls for a moment as he trips over one of the fallen walkers, barely managing to keep upright - and feels something cold clamp down on his left wrist.

He turns, and is immediately confronted with the frozen, fake, ceramic smile and glassy eyes of a Watch Man. Instinct takes over. He kicks desperately, catching the clockwork monstrosity in the chest. The force of it rips his arm out of the Watch Man's grip, and he slams into the wall behind him. Dizziness swims into his head, but he fights it off, turns and runs.

Protagonist wins, Exhaustion dominatesGideon gains one Exhaustion die

Lewis never even notices that he's being pursued. He moves like lightning, spurred on by utter, all-consuming terror and the need to be somewhere, anywhere else. He runs quickly - so quickly that he forgets that he was supposed to be following John. He doesn't look where his path is leading him. He only knows that, when he stops, he's in one of the city's interminable alleyways. No one is following him - but no one is there to lead him to safety, either.

Protagonist wins, Pain dominatesDespair increases by one

...Until, a moment later, Antoinette collapses into the alleyway behind him, leaning against a brick wall and panting heavily.

Protagonist wins, Pain dominatesDespair increases by one

John holds his pad and paper in a death grip as he sprints headlong through the crowd. He has to focus, has to get enough of his power together to make it real. It's the only chance-

And then he's slamming headfirst into the pavement. Something heavy is on his back, something sharp and cold and metal pressing into his neck. The pad is still clutched in his fingers, but the pencil goes skittering away across the stones.

Nightmare wins, Exhaustion dominatesJohn gains one Exhaustion die

Ahead of him, he can just barely make out Gideon's shoes coming to a halt at the sound of him slamming into the pavement, but his head is pressed flush against the cobbles. He can't see much else.

Gideon, on the other hand, can see very clearly what's going on. The Watch Men and Pin Head are still fighting their way through the press of bodies. There's not long until they arrive. Seconds, at most. But if he moves fast, it might be just fast enough to get the Needle Nose pressing its point into the back of John's neck away, get John upright, and set off running again.

QUOTE

As a reminder, the Needle Nose is Pain 3 in this circumstance.

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

"But..." Annie pants. She's not used to exerting herself. She's used to a light jog at the gym, not as often as she probably should be going, not running for her life from needle-faced monsters. "...where did we 'make it' to?"

Even if Antoinette and Lewis did have a map of the city, the view they have right now would be interchangeable with the view from any of the other six hundred alleys and bolt-holes this city seems to have. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that this alley doesn't seem to have an urchin with a sheaf of pamphlets clutched in his grubby hands, this might look exactly like the alley they were just at.

A map or a guide would be invaluable. Retracing their steps... might be possible, with the masses of people they knocked over. Then again, it might not. They won't know until they look out of the alleyway - which also might expose them to the pursuers they just escaped.

NEEDLE NOSE AGAINST JOHN

Pain

Dice Roll: 3d6: 5+2+2 = 9

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

Casting A ShadowDespair decreases by oneHope increases by onePain Dominates

QUOTE

This is what Despair points do for your enemies. At any time, I can spend a Despair point to add or subtract a 6 from any dice pool in play. This essentially allows me to determine what dominates a roll. The only catch is that, if I make Pain dominate - as I just did - I don't get another Despair point from this conflict.

In addition, me using a Despair point gives all of you a Hope point - but I'll explain that in the OOC thread.

As John's hands close on the Needle Nose's... needle nose, and he wrenches it to one side, he hears something behind him.

A whistle.

And, from an alleyway just next to Gideon, the booming, metallic voice of Officer Tock.

"After him, boys!

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man